Chairman of CARICOM and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris addressing the opening session of the 30th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts--Chairman of the Caribbean Community CARICOM and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris has urged his fellow regional Heads of Government to take the necessary steps to reposition the fifteen-member regional bloc in order to face its challenges.
“We must harness our collective wisdom, identify our competitive strengths and use our creativity to carve out a space for us to thrive,” he said on Tuesday during his remarks at the opening ceremony of the two-day 30th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM.
Prime Minister Harris noted that as efforts are made to reposition the regional body, CARICOM nations must also “confront the inequities being visited upon us by forging strong alliances, by strong, sustained advocacy and by cleverly using the avenues open to us to contest the unjust actions of the international community.”
He further indicated that innovative thinking and the collective intellectual capacity of the region are critically important if they are to achieve this goal.
“Our Community possesses enough of both to design solutions and craft responses to the challenges that have been thrust upon us,” Prime Minister Harris said.
Furthermore, the Kittitian leader said the complex challenges facing small island developing states such as CARICOM nations cannot be confronted individually.
“Together we can forge a path and find creative solutions to ensure progress towards sustainable development. That will be a true demonstration of the power of unity,” he added.
Harris assumed chairmanship of CARICOM on January 1, from Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness. ~ Caribbean360 ~
